U.S. SENIOR OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP

June 30, 1994

Graham Marsh

GRAHAM MARSH: Right. Do you want the clubs for the birdies?

GRAHAM MARSH: 6 footer the first. About 8 feet the third. Fourth was oh, 20 centimeters, I suppose, less than a foot. Then around at 7 was just a meter or so. Yeah, a meter. And then the next was a par. The par 5 we hit it on the 2 and 2-putted. The two bogeys came from the bad drive at 13 and missed the green at 18.

GRAHAM MARSH: Well, I think the key to it is getting off to a very good start. I mean, to take advantage of the morning conditions is really what I was trying to do. It is always nice to get away around early tee time in a major on the first day. I mean, 99 point 9 percent of the time that is, I think -- I personally believe that is the big advantage because you get the greens in the best conditions, particularly when you get a little bit overnight rain like we had last night, with more than a little, I guess. The greens are always going to be not as fast and they are going to hold. So, the fire was out of the course this morning. We were able to throw the iron shots at the flag and I just wanted to take advantage of it. I certainly did on the front 9. Played a little scrappy there with a couple of one tee shot, particularly at the 12. But after that, everything went along according to hole.

GRAHAM MARSH: No, just that, you know, I knew that -- I guess after the last few weeks, I know it is Pinehurst Number 2, and I know that this course can be particularly difficult. You get a little bit of breeze and the greens get firm, and the way the greens are set, I know that it can be very difficult. But what we have been playing in the last few weeks, I mean, the scores that the guys have been shooting, in my mind, I felt that I had to be under 70 today to be anywhere near the lead. I 18 under par, 17 under par and they haven't been on scrub of golf courses. They have been on pretty good golf courses, so I, guess mentally, everybody sort of attuned to getting a way to shooting low scores. Of course, those first few holes, are the scoring holes on this golf course. Down wind of the first and it is only a drive and an 8-iron and the par 5, you can get pretty close for 2 and certainly, the third hole. So I had short irons there and I just hit four very good shots into those holes. And hit it, I mean, it wasn't the putting that did it. It's just the iron shots. So even mentally we are all geared up, I guess, the scoring has been so low over the last few weeks.

GRAHAM MARSH: Not particularly. I drove the ball pretty well. I hit one drive in the rough with, I think. I probably hit all the fairways, other than one. So, you know, I drove it in position; drove it where I should have been and that gave me the opportunity to attack the flags, which is what you are looking to do. The one driver that I did hit in the rough I made bogey from that. The other bogey came from the missed iron shot at 18 where I was sort of in between clubs.

GRAHAM MARSH: Well it wasn't difficult today, and I am -- frankly, I am surprised that there aren't more players under par. But as I said, the key to the golf course is getting away to that good start on those opening holes because as you get into the middle there, you run into a series of the 2 par -- the other par threes the end of the back 9 so you run into that hole series of par 4s there, plus the par 5 that you can't reach in 2. So going in there with those longer clubs, is 5-irons, 6 and 7-irons. You really have to hit the ball very, very accurately if you want to get it close to those pins when it is sticky like it was today. So, you know, I am surprised that the scores aren't lower, but I guess it is just some of the guys didn't take advantage of the morning conditions.

GRAHAM MARSH: Yes, I did. But I think when I arrived here, I was pleasantly surprised with the setup of the golf course. I think the USGA haven't tried to break our backs this week. They have kept the fairways at, I would say, generous. Maybe they were expecting warmer weather and firmer greens. Maybe they weren't expecting these sort of damp conditions that we are experiencing here now. But overall, it is generous, and it is there to be had if you play well. But as far as setting my own mind to it, I have been around most of the last few weeks. I have sort have been in the top 10 and just haven't been able to finish it off. So, I have been feeling pretty confident about the way I have been playing, and I certainly like this golf course.

GRAHAM MARSH: Well, see, I have been playing in Japan on the regular tour there, so I have been playing my 25 tournaments a year on the Japanese tour and four, five tournaments in Australia. So, I have been playing the regular tour on the other circuits of the world, and that keeps you competitive.

GRAHAM MARSH: Only once I played here in a World Open. I can't remember which year -- it wasn't the 8th rounder that they had here, but I think the next year was -- they had another World Open and that was the one that I played in.

GRAHAM MARSH: No, but I made the cut and I played the four days, but I can't remember where I finished. But it wasn't, you know, somewhere in the middle of the field, I guess.

GRAHAM MARSH: I hit a perfect drive at 18. I was delighted with the position and everything was well down there. I had 165 to the hole, and for me it was a toss up between a 6 and a 5. I knew the pin was right into that front position, and I took the 5. But in my mind, I just didn't sort of make a commitment to the shot; try and hit it hard enough, and sort of came out of it at the last moment and pitched it on the bank, ran it down to the right flag high, and putted it up the bank which is one of the options that you got; either putt it or pitch it. So, I went for the putter, hit it about 8 feet, I guess, and missed it on the left side.

GRAHAM MARSH: At 14?

GRAHAM MARSH: Where I made -- where I got it up and down?

GRAHAM MARSH: No, that was a dum thing to do. I went for the 7-iron instead of the 6 and pulled it left, that is what happened there. But the putt through the fringe was much more difficult than the one at 18. But the putt was about the same length, the one that -- the one on 14 that I hold, yeah.

GRAHAM MARSH: Well, yeah unless they can't read, they should.

GRAHAM MARSH: I guess so. No, it is nice. I think there is so much interest in the Senior Tour, and I guess people go down -- I mean, I do it when I am looking at other sports. You go down the list of names, you sort of go down, the 10 or 15 beyond that you just don't read. So, I guess, yeah, I think it is starting to happen.